PSSSST. Wanna hear a secret?
No, we’re not talking the run-of- the-mill variety: nabbing free back-row seats at The Muny or dodging a charge at the Children’s Zoo. We’re talking real secrets: how to get out of a speeding ticket, how to enjoy a Cards game for free, where to sit at Powell Hall (it’s not where you think). SLM consulted with the city’s insiders to get the scoop on maximizing your time—and money—in St. Louis. What did we learn? It pays to be in the know.
CULTURE
Pay cash at The Pageant, and you’ll avoid all fees.
Stealing the Scene
How to slip into sold-out shows and free exhibits
First rule: Timing’s everything. Check back at the Saint Louis Symphony box office up to an hour before a sold-out concert; subscribers have that long to exchange their tickets. Same for theaters; often they release “reserved” seats the day of the performance. And if you wait for long-run extravaganzas to near their end, you might land a deeply discounted ticket. Out of patience? Pre-order your intermission refreshments at the Rep’s new café, and your drinks will be waiting for you when the lights come up.
Next, play it smart. Pay cash at The Pageant, and you’ll avoid all fees. Sign up for your favorite venues’ emails, or follow them on Twitter or Facebook. The SLSO, the Sheldon, the Rep—nearly every institution uses social media to offer occasional, often exclusive discounts, pre-sales, or last-minute deals to their followers. So do the Regional Arts Commission’s artszipper.com calendar and MetroTix’s “My MetroTix” emails.
Usher at your favorite venue, and you might find yourself standing next to one of St. Louis’ best actors or directors; they can’t afford to see as much theater as they’d like, so they find ways to see it for free. Go to the Saint Louis Art Museum’s blockbuster exhibits on Fridays, when they’re free. Venture to The Firebird, Lemp Neighborhood Arts Center, Way Out Club, Wash. U.’s Gargoyle, or SLU’s Billiken Club (if you don’t mind people microwaving burritos around you), and you’ll hear cool music before it costs the moon.
Private Prints
We’d bet even the most gallery-happy fans of the Saint Louis Art Museum have never set foot in its Study Room for Prints, Drawings, and Photographs. Tucked away on the fourth floor, this state-of-the-art nook opened in 2006 as a way to store, study, and show the museum’s stellar collection of prints—more than 14,000 by such artists as Rembrandt, Dürer, van Gogh, and Walker Evans. Since prints are light-sensitive, they can’t be on view for long periods of time like paintings and sculptures. That simple fact means you can now roll like a high-flying art collector (“I’m in a Bingham kind of mood”) for free by contacting the Print Room staff at 314-655-5402 or [email protected] and requesting an appointment to view a particular work. Even better, a curatorial staffer will likely be on hand to provide some meaningful context to whatever’s caught your eye.
Bypass the Box Office
Don’t take the box offices too seriously: Order season tickets, then arrange the performance dates to match your own social schedule. And instead of fighting traffic on Friday nights, stop by Grandel Theatre between 6 and 7 p.m., get your Black Rep ticket for just $20, eat dinner in Grand Center, and return for the 8 p.m. curtain.
Line-Free Latrines
It’s called a “restroom” because you’ve stood in line so long, your sandal straps are lashed across puffy feet. Aim for ease instead: Ignore obvious, main-floor bathrooms. At the Rep or OTSL, go down the stairs on the left side of the lobby; at the Sheldon, climb a flight and a half up from the lobby, and you’ll find no line.
Seats You Can’t Beat
Finding the best spot is less front row, more what you know.
While patrons squabble over box seats, the SLSO staff and musicians who have the night off are climbing up to the nosebleed seats in Powell Hall’s Terrace Circle, where big pieces with horns and percussion boom off the ceiling, and the sound engulfs and overwhelms you. Chopin, sure, upstairs to the left where you can watch the pianist’s hands. But Mahler? Ascend.
At the Rep, shoot for the front of the center bay (the slightly elevated seating area at the back of the house) for musicals and Section I or II on the floor for dramas. Best seats: Tuesdays and Sundays for the 7 p.m. performance; Saturdays at 9 p.m. At the Fox, try the mezzanine for the best of both worlds: a high vantage point that’s still close to the stage.
For Opera Theatre of Saint Louis, try one of the nonsubscription performances, and enjoy the choice seats subscribers usually snap up. At the Sheldon, choose orchestra, anywhere from Row D back. The Grandel Theatre is raked, so if you go to a St. Louis Shakespeare play and sit in the first or second row, the actors will be quite literally talking over your head. Try the fourth row or higher. And the best tip of all: Dine with your love, but watch alone. If you buy single seats at the last minute, you might wind up a few rows apart, but sitting pretty.
DINING
Craig Adams has teamed up with folks at Chase Park Plaza to offer a monthly World of Wine dinner series.
Culinary Clubs
Where real foodies feast together
Ah, passwords, undisclosed locations, and the mysterious Clandestine Chef. If you like secret-society stuff and you’re into food, join Entre, the biweekly Friday/Saturday underground dinner club organized by He-Who-Mustn’t-Be-Named. With way-cool destinations like rooftop patios, elegant homes and lodges, and even an underground wine cellar, Entre gets a thumbs-up for ambience. Multicourse meals (sometimes themed) are painstakingly planned and frequently feature locally grown food. Donations average $60; add $15 to $20 for the wine flight. Entre if you dare at danssouslaterre.com.
Vino Vitae Gourmet Wine Shop owner Craig Adams has teamed up with folks at The Tenderloin Room in Chase Park Plaza to offer a monthly World of Wine dinner series (314-361-0900). Each multicourse meal showcases traditional cuisine from a select geographic area; standout wines from the region are paired with each course. Upcoming dinners that cover Israel/the Middle East (November), Eastern Europe/Asia (December), and Italy (January) will enlighten your mind and broaden your palate. The series runs through August 2010. Cheers! ¡Salud! Budmo! Cin cin!
Can’t swing a seat at Taste by Niche? Catch ever-in-demand mixologist Ted Kilgore on Monday, November 9, at 33 Wine Shop & Tasting Bar. The Lafayette Square joint will turn into a speak-easy–style cocktail club during Kilgore’s Blood and Sand event; the mixologist will demonstrate his mastery with eight innovative cocktails. Purely paired spirits, measured to the mm. Mmm.
Dormitory Dining
Cooking frill-free cuisine
Who knew you could make triggerfish en papillote in a microwave? At the monthly Dorm Room Series at 33 Wine Shop & Tasting Bar (314-231-9463), area chefs like Josh Galliano of Monarch and Kevin Willmann of Erato on Main are harking back to their kitchenless college days by pulling out hot plates, toasters, crockpots, and the rest of Grandma’s worn-out kitchenware to show just what can be done even without a proper kitchen. Eating on plastic plates never tasted so good. Reservations for the Monday dinners are accepted precisely one month in advance. Your next shot is for the December 21 dinner.
Bike for Beignets
You might freeze your buns off if you bike to Café Ventana—but pedal over to the midtown eatery, and they’ll give you one of their signature beignets for free! “It’s just another way to promote a green lifestyle,” says general manager Georgia Dubson. (And since you’re not paying a penny for that delish French doughnut, shell out some silver for a cup of joe to help with frostbite.)
Sign Up, Chow Down
Four sites for discovering delicious bites
1. veggietrader.com: It’s like Craigslist for home growers—buy, sell, and swap with your neighbors. Sourcing food this close to home has never been easier.
2. localharvest.org: If you want that weekly sack of locally grown, farm-fresh produce, meat, poultry, and dairy, then now’s the time to nab a membership with a local community-supported agriculture (CSA) program. Visit this site to find what’s right for you.
3. stlmealdeals.blogspot.com: With cocktails up to $10 and Junior now ordering from the adult menu, Dad’s wallet sure is looking empty. Bookmark this site, and you’ll stay on top of great dining discounts. Search by price, cuisine, neighborhood, day of the week, and more.
4. twitter.com: All of your fave eateries and swig spots are tweeting about upcoming events. Follow @Schlafly, @localharveststl, @Nadozcafe, plus insiders like @stlbites, @stl_hops, and
@stlmag on Twitter to get helpful nibbles of news in real time.
RECREATION
Skip the seventh-inning stretch—and admission prices altogether—by catching the Cardinals after the seventh.
Going Pro
How to handle big-league ballgames
Skip the seventh-inning stretch—and admission prices altogether—by catching the Cardinals after the seventh. Or if you prefer to see the opening pitch, do the opposite and arrive superearly. Get to the ticket window when it opens at 9 a.m., and purchase tickets for $5.50 as one of the first 200 people in line. Here’s the exciting part: You don’t know where you’ll be sitting until the gates open, at which time you pick up an envelope with tickets inside. You could get nosebleeds, or you could be living large in the field box.
The glass is a lifesaver if you’re front-row at a Blues game—but for die-hard hockey fans, it proves an obstacle to getting autographs. You could try catching guys like T.J. Oshie when they’re leaving the parking garage after a game, but your best bet is during practice at St. Louis Mills’ iceZONE (314-227-5288). As for the Rams? If you can’t wave down Steven Jackson during pregame warm-ups, try following other Sharpie-toting fans to just south of the dome, near the Drury Inn on Broadway, as players make a break from the Edward Jones Dome after the fourth quarter.
Where to Tailgate?
Try RiverView Park, just behind the Laclede Power building, near the Mississippi River and the Riverfront Trail’s entrance. You’re just a 10-minute walk from the Edward Jones Dome, and the view and price beat a garage any day.
Monday Night Baseball
A Major League outing can rack up a major-league bill. For families, a Minor League game can be a great way to go (especially for youngsters who don’t know what ERA even means). On Mondays, every seat in the ballpark is $5 during a River City Rascals game.
Tee Times
Tee off during slow times, Mondays or Tuesdays after 2 or 3 p.m., when some local golf courses offer discounted greens fees. With memberships down at many courses, a little bargaining (think trial memberships) isn’t a bad idea, either.
Ski For Free
Did your honor student score all A’s and B’s during the first quarter of school? If your school participates in the “Show Us Your Grades” program at Hidden Valley Ski, then the studious skier may be eligible for a free weekday snow pass.
Unseen Green
Four off-the-beaten paths
1.) North Riverfront Park: Strikingly underutilized, especially considering its whopping size of 112 acres, this park offers some of the best views of the Mississippi this side of North County.
2.) Christy Greenway Connection: This narrow, 1-mile trail winds from the River Des Peres past Saints Peter & Paul Cemetery and Old St. Marcus Cemetery, and then connects to Carondelet Park via bike lanes along Holly Hills Avenue.
3.) Meramec Highlands Quarry at Dee Koestering Park: Saved a number of years ago from being turned into yet another residential area, this hilly 9.5-acre tract in Kirkwood was a rock quarry at the turn of the 20th century. Large boulders are still scattered throughout the site, making the wooded park a scenic spot even when the trees are bare.
4.) Missouri Research Park Connector, Weldon Spring: So you want to savor the scenery by riding the Katy Trail along the Missouri River, but you don’t know where to park. Look no farther than newly built Missouri Research Park near Weldon Spring. Take its newly built trail over a boardwalk, past wetlands, and along a roaring stream to connect to the state’s best-known bike path.
All-Access Pass
Where to go one-on-one with the all-stars
Want to guarantee you’ll come away with a pro’s autograph? Attend a Saint Louis Athletica (womensprosoccer.com/stlouis) game. “It’s easily the most accessible sport in St. Louis,” says Tony Hubert, who works with the women’s professional soccer team. “If you come, your odds are 100 percent. After the game, every player signs autographs; you might not get who you want, but you’re guaranteed to get somebody if you come down to the rail.”
Looking to catch other teams at the top of their sport? Attend a St. Louis SLAM women’s football game at CBC High School. The team recently won the Women’s Football Alliance championship after a perfect season. Or catch an NAHL St. Louis Bandits hockey game. Where else can you watch three-time defending champs play for only $7?
SHOPPING
For $150 per participant, owner Diana Ford offers a guided tour of eight to 10 boutiques.
Tour de Trendy
What better way to celebrate—fingers crossed—the recession’s end than with The Shopping Company (314-537-0963)? For $150 per participant, owner Diana Ford offers a guided tour of eight to 10 boutiques in the CWE, Maplewood, and other fashion enclaves. “It’s typically just a girls’ day out,” she explains. “[Participants] do a seated lunch in Clayton. They get a swag bag and a limousine. And typically it’s 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., but we can customize.” (The Shopping Company also offers a “resale tour,” incidentally—a bus tour including lunch and involving as many as 30 shoppers at $39 each.)
Park Place
The Jefferson National Parks Association (866-716-1906) makes shopping not just educational, but also benevolent. The nonprofit stocks and staffs museum shops and bookstores that specialize in historic and cultural goods, with proceeds going to U.S. parks and related attractions. Locally, it operates facilities in the Gateway Arch, the Old Courthouse, and the Ulysses S. Grant National Historic Site, as well as East Alton, Ill.’s National Great Rivers Museum. Items for sale include the Ken Burns documentary The National Parks: America’s Best Idea (released on DVD just last month), a foot-tall park-ranger doll, and short cookbooks showcasing “old-fashioned” recipes for bread pudding and other goodies.
High-End and Half Off
How to shop for steals at Neiman, Nordstrom, and more
Love designer labels but suffer from price-tag phobia? You’re not alone. Even the thriftiest of fashionistas can’t resist the twice-a-year Last Call Clearance at Neiman Marcus. That’s when everything from Armani to D&G is reduced as much as 55 to 65 percent. The St. Louis store’s biggest sale takes place in February, when merchandise arrives from the chain’s Southern stores, and again in July. Once the sale ends, all leftovers go to Last Call stores sprinkled throughout the country.
Not to be outdone, Nordstrom offers similar sales, when shoppers can get up to 40 to 60 percent off designer fashions: November and May for women, December and June for men. Saks Fifth Avenue also holds seasonal sales throughout the year. And check into Dillard’s around the third week of the month to see about 40-percent-off sales in various departments.
ReCycle
Buy or upgrade two-wheel transportation during Bike Swap at the Alpine Shop (314-962-7715). Every May, the Kirkwood location sells gently loved bikes on consignment during a giant tent sale. Price your bike, and when it sells, the shop will dole out 100 percent of the sale’s value in store credit or 75 percent in check form.
Special Delivery
Want the newest and latest? Call your favorite shops to see what day new shipments arrive. Stores with postseason styles, like Marshall’s and T.J. Maxx, typically receive shipments on Mondays and again midweek—but keep in mind that it can take several days for new items to hit the sales floor. Other local department stores, boutiques, and vintage shops put out new merchandise daily—so be ever-vigilant.
Go Online—and Go Green
The Internet—surprise, surprise—boasts manifold tools for shoppers, particularly those concerned about sustainability and other “green” matters. More specifically, the website St. Louis Greenfeatures a “Companies & Products” listing, ranging from alternative transportation (Bolt Electric Vehicles, Glide St. Louis, Vespa Saint Louis) to wineries (Mount Pleasant Winery). That listing comprises a total of 381 entries in 74 categories, with individual entries providing a company’s name, address, and phone number, as well as a link to its website.
Call the Concierge
Feeling overwhelmed by today’s pace of life? If so, do what hotels do—hire a concierge. For an hourly rate or a monthly subscription fee, Concierge Services of St. Louis County (314-477-4948) can assist with everything from running errands to staffing parties.
One More Etsy, Bitsy Tip
Etsy.com offers a “Shop Local” section, featuring about 100 St. Louis–specific artists’ items like quirky necklaces and vintage top hats. Not finding what you want? Etsy’s “Alchemy” section matches up buyers and sellers. Complete a request form with a detailed explanation of your vision, and artists can bid on creating it for you.
COMMUNITY
New-seums
Beyond the Zoo and Science Center
Tired of traversing the same spots with out-of-towners? There’s hope! Scope the Newman Money Museum. Dedicated in 2006, it’s located in the basement of Wash. U.’s Mildred Lane Kemper Art Museum (314-935-9595). The museum comprises only 3,000 square feet, but holds an astonishing array of items—from counterfeits to coins depicting women and African-Americans—pulled from the collection of world-famous numismatist Eric P. Newman. Some cases even feature magnifying lenses, so you can examine every groove and engraving.
The brown paper affixed to the windows of the Wax Museum of St. Louis (314-241-5875) did not augur, as many feared, the appearance of a sidewalk café in its stead. It reopened this summer, and the facelift didn’t erase its quirky charms; owners soon hope to supplement their extensive collection (including Gandhi, Jesus, and Dr. Zaius) with 21st-century figures like Rihanna, Obama, and every St. Louisan’s favorite longhair, Sammy Hagar.
As for the well-known but equally quirky City Museum? Go after 11 p.m. on weekends, and you can wander around inside with a flashlight.
Socialist Manifesto
How to win friends and influence people
St. Louisans run in packs—in some cases, those formed in high school—which can make branching out a challenge. For newcomers, check out the New Neighbors League Club (636-259-0092). Activities include wine tastings, reading clubs, and luncheons. (It even has a babysitting co-op.)
Speaking of, for those who’ve lost pals to the cult of the Target Baby Registry, check out Child-Free St. Louis or No Kidding St. Louis. If you’re on the other side of the equation, there’s a plethora of mommy meetups online. And for Mr. Mom? Point your mouse to Man At Home Dads.
Finally, St. Louis is rich in niche social clubs, from the St. Louis Curling Club to St. Louis Adventurers. St. Louis FolkFire maintains a voluminous list, including groups dedicated to Renaissance dance, songwriting, and even the humble recorder. Or visit the mother of all trivia message boards, trivianights.net, to test your smarts with others—on almost any night of the week.
Best (and Worst) of the Loo
Where to go when you gotta go
We’ll never top the bathrooms at Shoji Tabuchi’s theater in Branson—christened “America’s Best Restroom” by service company Cintas. But after conducting our own not-so-scientific poll, it’s clear St. Louis has some standout facilities. There are the usual suspects: those glamorous hotels, theaters, and shopping destinations. Then there are the less obvious locales, places like The Book House (“It’s tucked underneath a stairwell, and the walls are covered in sheet music,” wrote one of our poll respondents), Café Ventana (“The walls are painted to resemble chalkboards, and the ceilings are mirror-tiled”), The Fountain on Locust, and Venice Café (particularly downstairs, where there’s a Russ Meyer–esque Barbie diorama), as well as Araka and Sen Thai Asian Bistro, whose reputations preceded them for cool bathrooms and food.
A good deal of the “worst” nominations came in the form of men’s bathrooms at sports stadiums—we’re gonna call that fair. The other big contender: legendary facilities at defunct rock clubs (Rocket Bar and the Hi-Pointe—though the latter got points for always supplying “plenty of TP in the ladies’ room”). The women’s room at CBGB was noted for its two-toilets-without-a-divider setup. We have to admit this approach takes the classic “We need to powder our nose” line to a whole new level.
STREETS
Life in the Fast Lane
How to dodge a speeding ticket
Few things are worse than glancing in the rearview mirror to see flashing lights, especially when you know the pin on your speedometer was a bit too far to the right. Remain calm: Some St. Louis cops admit there are ways to improve your odds for getting out of a ticket—within reason, of course. The first rule: Be polite. Nothing will earn you a fine faster than copping an attitude; donut references are a particular no-no. Second: Tell the truth, especially when it’s particularly outrageous or embarrassing (“I just bought Popeye’s, and it’s really good chicken!”). Finally, don’t hold back the waterworks; many cops have a soft spot for teary-eyed drivers. Of course, these tips aren’t guaranteed to get you off scot-free—but they might help.
On the Clock
So you come back to your parked car in Clayton to find the meter expired, a ticket under your wiper blade. Act fast! Pay it within 30 minutes of the time on the ticket, and it’s only $1! As for the City of St. Louis, there’s no such break—but on Saturdays there are such things as free meters downtown, if you know where to look (the area bounded by Jefferson Avenue to the west, the river to the east, Cole Street to the north, and Chouteau Avenue to the south).
It’s a Gas
Visit stlouisgasprices.com to discover the spots that boast the lowest—and highest—gas prices. A little extra effort can save you a bundle. Two rules of thumb: 1) Avoid filling up in Illinois, where gas taxes are significantly steeper, and 2) keep an eye peeled for affordable prices, especially when driving near midtown. Or add the Cheap Gas! app to your iPhone.
Windy City Weekends
The quickest, cheapest way between here and Chicago? Megabus. Tickets are cheap (around $20), Wi-Fi is free, and you’re likely to make new friends along the way.
Lots for Less
Want to avoid ridiculous parking prices at Lambert International? Park your car at one of MetroLink’s long-term lots, and take the train instead. In Missouri, you can park for free at the Brentwood or Shrewsbury stations for up to 14 days. The same applies for any Metro station in Illinois. (Word of warning: The lots aren’t monitored, so hide those valuables.)
Prime-Time Parking – Busch Stadium: Chouteau Avenue, near Nestlé Purina; side streets near the central library (if you’re up for the hike)
– Edward Jones Dome: Along Cole Avenue, west of 11th Street (and check out the “Recreation” section for a tailgating treasure)
– Scottrade Center: Warm up at Maggie O’Brien’s before the game, and take the shuttle for only $3.
College Dues
Receive a parking ticket at Wash. U.? There’s a chance you don’t have to pay it. The university grants leniency on certain violations. If it’s your only ticket of the year, it’ll be scratched from the record. (Get a second ticket, though, and it’s a different story.)
Share the road
Ever wonder what’s up with those WeCar signs scattered throughout downtown? For $10 an hour (with an overnight charge of $30), you can rent an eco-friendly WeCar (wecar.com/stl)—provided 24/7 courtesy of Enterprise’s car-sharing program—and take it for a spin anywhere in Missouri or its bordering states. Time your reservation right, and you’re guaranteed a parking spot downtown before games.
